I'll Keep The Monsters Away
by apocalyptic-nonsense
Summary: Romano has been having nightmares, and can't sleep. Luckily, a usually shy Canadian is there to help. One-shot, rated T for language.


**A/N** - Hey guys! This is my first ever fanfiction. Apologies for any mistakes I may have made. Not a popular pairing, but I think it's kinda cute. ouo

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Tears rolled down Lovino's face as he sat up in bed. His breath was laboured. The nightmare he had just been having... it hurt to think about. Running a hand through his hair, he stood, letting the messy duvet fall from around his torso as he made his way to the bathroom, clicking the light and walking to the sink.

The dark circles under his eyes would tell anyone he hadn't been sleeping a lot. His nightmares had gotten worse recently. With his brother spending more time away with the potato bastard, especially now that they were staying in the same hotel for a meeting, he didn't have anyone to comfort him. Not that he needed fratello, that was just childish.  
Lovino's shaking hands turned on the tap then cupped the cold water, before splashing it onto his face. He let the drops run down his nose and jaw, falling gently back into the sink.  
Walking back into the bedroom, he looked at the clock. 2:12 am. He tightened his fists and clenched his jaw. Sleep wasn't coming for him tonight. He would just have to survive on coffee throughout the day. Grabbing his room key, he pulled open the door to the hallway.  
It was dimly lit, but Lovino's eyes adjusted quickly. At a slow but steady pace, he walked the halls. The buzzing from the lights was comforting in a way, but the quite snores of the others echoing from their rooms made Lovino envious.  
"Why can't I just fucking sleep!" he growled as he kicked at a cupboard that was in place in the hallway. This was a mistake however, as the vase of flowers crashed from the wooden surface and onto the floor. A crash resounded, followed by various curse words in both English and Italian.  
Lovino was too enraged to notice the tall Canadian that had emerged from his room due to all of the commotion. He pushed his glasses wearily up his nose as he watched in slight amusement as the angry Italian huffed, sitting on the floor and not so carefully picked up the glass shards.  
Matthew knew what was going to happen, but still groggy from sleep, didn't react fast enough. Lovino was being rough with the glass, and inevitably managed to place a long thin cut across his palm.  
"Fuck!" yelled Lovino, as the blood dripped onto the carpet.  
Matthew ran forwards, startling the Italian. "H-how about you just leave that here, eh? Sort it out in the morning, and for now let's g-get that cleaned up."  
Lovino was startled, as he had had no idea the Canadian was even here. He knew who Matthew was and had seen him around, but how could he have not heard him come out of his room just now? The pleasant smile across Matthews face however just reminded Lovino of how irritated he was.  
"Get off me, syrup bastard! I don't need your help."  
"W-well it sure doesn't look that way." Matthew's features hardened and he gripped Lovino's wrist tightly. Pulling away wasn't going to do the Italian any good; Matthew was stronger than he looked.  
Within seconds, the Italian was being pushed onto Matthews's bed, and tissues were being shoved into his hands to prevent anymore blood being spilt.  
Speechless, Lovino sat there as the taller male grabbed a first aid kit and began to work on his hand. The Canadian was sat cross legged on the bed next to him, a slight blush colouring his cheeks. His glasses kept sliding down his thin nose, revealing eyes that were a marvellous blue, almost purple. Lovino blushed fiercely when he realised he was staring.  
A few minutes later, and Matthew coughed to tell the other he was finished. Lovino's eyes were drifting shut, even though there was an obvious struggle to keep them open going on.  
Nudging at his shoulder, he said quietly, "You can just sleep here if you want to, I'll take the couch, eh?" Lovino looked up, eyes suddenly snapping open and panic filling his eyes. "No!"  
Matthew became confused at the others sudden reaction. Lovino coughed in embarrassment and rubbed the back of his neck. The fright was still in his eyes however, and the Canadian took note.  
"I can't sleep. They'll..." Lovino began to panic again, his breathing speeding up. Matthew didn't know what to do. How was he meant to calm this guy down?  
Nervously, Matthew perched on the side of the bed with Lovino. His hand hesitantly went to pat the other mans leg, but then thought better of it and went for the shoulder instead. Releasing a shaky breath, Matthew said,  
"A-are you talking about nightmares? I can tell you haven't been having much sleep." He let out a light laugh. "We could just share if you need company or somethi-" The Canadian cut off, realising what he'd said.  
Lovino's eyes widened. "What are you suggesting? So what if I can't sleep, like I'd want to share with you." He crossed his arms and huffed, looking away. Unlike usual, there was no bite in his voice and his words fell flat. Matthew picked up on this and smiled shyly.  
Standing, he padded across the room. Lovino's eyes followed him, amber orbs looking the man up and down. His soft curls fell lightly around his cheeks, his curl, a bit like his own, spiralling in front of his face. Matthew brushed it away as he clicked off the light, sending the room into darkness, with the exception of the bathroom light shining in through the crack in the door.  
Lovino swallowed and moved into the opposite side of the bed. He scooted the very edge as he heard Matthew also settling down.  
It's okay... it's just like sharing with Feli. Except it's not. Fuck! Why was this an issue?  
Lovino's cheeks burned as he felt the other move closer. Because he wasn't looking, he didn't know that Matthews' cheeks were doing the same.  
"Hey..." Matthews's voice came out soft. "Don't try to stay awake, if I can't fight off the monsters, Kumachiro will."  
"Wha-! I'm not staying awake because of the nightmares; I'm staying awake to make sure you don't do anything funny, moose freak." Lovino frowned, but loosened up a little. "Wait. Kuma-what?"  
"Kumakuma, my bear. He sleeps over there."  
At this, Matthew pointed towards the corner of the room. Lovino's eyes followed the gesture to see a ball of white fluff curled in the corner. It wasn't making a sound, and the only indication that it was alive at all was the slight rise and fall of its stomach.  
Lovino's eyes widened. There was actually a bear in the room. He discreetly moved closer to Matthew.  
The bear grunted and shifted position. It lifted its head and looked directly at Lovino. Not a second later, Lovino was clutching Matthews's body in an attempt to shield himself from the harmless creature.  
"Hey L-lovino...agh!" Matthew panicked at the sudden contact and wiggled to escape. They were a mess of limbs, both faces blushing furiously. Matthew turned his head to see the other, without realising just how close he was. Their noses brushed. Up this close, Lovino could really notice how the light glinted across the others eyes, how his hair fell across his rosy cheeks and cute his expression of shock was.  
Lovino pulled away quickly, sitting up. Why was he thinking these things?  
Matthew sat up too, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand and gripping the quilt nervously with the other. He risked a glance upwards and found that Lovino was staring at him. With a sharp intake of breath, he moved closer, until their eyes were level and he could feel the others breath on his lips. His lips pulled up into a smile.  
"I'll keep the monsters away", Matthew whispered as he closed the gap between their lips. At first, neither one of them moved, but after a tense second, Lovino pressed into Matthew. Matthew gasped a little at the force, but lengthened the kiss. Lovino was surprised. This is not what he expected his little walk to become, not that it wasn't pleasant. Matthews lips were soft and gentle, but the kiss broke apart and the two men looked at each other a little breathless.  
Matthew lay back down, curling up under the covers. Lovino looked at him, at how soft his hair look splayed on the pillow. He followed, and his head sank into his own pillow. They were so close. They were sharing body heat. After what just happened, it made Lovino's breath catch.  
Matthew reached beside him to find Lovino's hand. He clasped it tight, giving it a reassuring squeeze.  
Lovino looked at their hands in place on top of the covers. He felt safe. He felt reassured.  
"Hey... um, Matthew?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Thanks, I guess."  
"No problem, eh?"


End file.
